Christian Book Notes

Coy, Col. Jimmie Dean. Matthew A to Z +2. Mobile: Evergreen Press, 2008. 56 pp. $10.99. Purchase at Amazon.

Coy, Col. Jimmie Dean and Patricia Coy Ragsdell.  The ABC’s of Matthew for Kids. Mobile: Evergreen Press, 2009.  40 pp.  $14.99.  Purchase at Amazon.

Introduction

Col. Coy may be better known for his ministry and book series of the same name–A Gathering of Eagles.  These two books offer a simple and fun way to actually learn the theme of each chapter of the gospel of Matthew using the alphabet.

Review

The creativity in using the alphabet to alliterate the entire gospel of Matthew is impressive.  The +2 is because there are 28 chapters and only 26 letters in the alphabet.  For each letter, the author uses as many words beginning with that particular letter.  For example, the letter A is for ancestry.  An example sentence from that chapter would be, “ANCESTRY from ABRAHAM to Jesus. The ANGEL APPEARED saying, “Don’t be AFRAID AND then ANNOUNCED His ARRIVAL saying, “His name will be Immanuel which means, God with us” (Mt. 1:23). For more examples and the entire alphabet, you can check out the page on his website dedicated to these books.  The children’s book uses the same alliteration technique but uses more pictures than words to describe the chapter.

Recommendation

These two books are great resources for families.  They are fun to “study” during family devotions and worship.  They definitely are an aid in “memorizing” the Gospel of Matthew.  I  recommend both of these books to families and churches.  If you are a children’s minister, the children’s edition gives you 28 weeks worth of lessons!  If you are a family minister, you will find that both parents and children will enjoy learning about the Gospel of Matthew with these books.